


Still a Soldier in Your Mind

by torakowalski



Series: AU Prompts [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bucky's not the Winter Soldier, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Steve's still Captain America
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 06:30:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2338565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torakowalski/pseuds/torakowalski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The man doesn’t look like Hydra; he’s wrapped up in a coat that’s too big for him, the sleeve of the left arm empty, and a dirty cap pulled down over his eyes.  He looks cold down to his bones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still a Soldier in Your Mind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hils](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hils/gifts).



> For Hils who asked for Steve/Bucky 'sitting on the same park bench au'
> 
> I always get confused by AUs where Steve and Bucky didn't know each other as children but... then I wrote one, anyway!

Steve is waiting for Sam outside the VA, just enjoying the feel of cool winter sun on his face, when someone sits down on the other end of his bench.

There are plenty of empty benches around them, so Steve spares him a long glance, checking him over to see if he’s a threat. 

The man doesn’t look like Hydra; he’s wrapped up in a coat that’s too big for him, the sleeve of the left arm empty, and a dirty cap pulled down over his eyes. He looks cold down to his bones.

Steve finds himself turning toward him, holding out the cup of coffee that he bought but didn’t want.

“No, thanks,” the guy says, looking at Steve like he’s potentially crazy.

“I haven’t drunk any of it,” Steve says. “It’s cootie-free.”

The guy laughs, but doesn’t smile, and it only lasts a second. “No, thanks,” he says again.

Steve nods, since he’s not going to push, and faces front again. The sun still feels good on his skin, but now he’s worried and he can’t settle. He never could let a sad cause go, his ma always used to say, not that he ever had anyone to worry about but her, back then.

“Where’d you serve?” Steve asks, not looking at him, this time, trying to give him some space.

His new friend answers in a low voice. “Iraq. Two tours.” He hesitates. “Nearly two tours. Got taken in an ambush just before the end of my second.”

Steve thinks about his missing arm and doesn’t ask another question.

“What about you?” 

Steve can’t say _Europe_ , or _New York_ , or _right here in DC_ , so he just shrugs instead. “All over.”

“What do you do, now?”

Steve opens his mouth to say _I’m still in the army_ , but he’s not, and he can’t say _I work for the government_ , because he doesn’t, not anymore. Things have been quiet since he took down Hydra; even the Avengers haven’t needed him.

“I guess you could say I’m unemployed,” he says.

The guy looks at him, expression unimpressed. “That don’t do a body no good,” he says. “You oughta get out there, do something with your life. Can’t be Captain America forever, buddy.”

“I - ” Steve says then pauses. “You knew.”

For the first time, he smiles. It transforms his face, makes him look young and alive. “You’re kinda hard to miss. James Barnes,” he says and when Steve looks over, he finds that Barnes is offering him his hand. “If you’re good, I’ll let you call me Bucky.”

“Steve Rogers,” Steve says. “What counts as good?”

Barnes’s eyes light up for a second, like he’s engaged in the conversation then it flickers away and he lets go of Steve’s hand. “Never mind.”

"What did I say?" Steve asks. He’s never been afraid of a challenge or an embarrassing situation and he'd been enjoying Barnes's attention.

“Nothing,” Barnes says. “Just forgot for a sec.”

“Forgot?” Steve asks, then notices the way Barnes is curling in on himself, like he’s broken and shouldn’t be making friends, or whatever it was he’d been aiming for with Steve. He looks over his shoulder at the VA and wishes Sam were here. Sam is good at this. “You going in there?”

Barnes doesn’t turn to look; he obviously knows where they are. “Nope. Think about it sometimes, but no.”

“My friend works there,” Steve says. It comes out automatically, but it still sounds odd. He’s never really had a friend before. The Howling Commandos don’t count; they were family.

“Yeah?” Barnes says. “That's nice for him.”

“We’re going for lunch, when he’s done. Want to come?” Steve asks, then waits, smiling as invitingly as he knows how.

Barnes frowns at him. “Don’t need nobody feeling sorry for me,” he says eventually. “Or tricking me into a therapy session.”

“Who’s feeling sorry for you?” Steve asks. “You got something worth feeling sorry about?”

Bucky pushes his cap back far enough that long, dark brown hair falls into his eyes. “You keep trying to feed me,” he says, nodding at the coffee that must be stone cold, by now.

“I’m nice like that,” Steve says, then gets an unexpected pang of missing Nick Fury. 

“All right,” Barnes says, just that. 

Steve smiles.


End file.
